Update: The President’s cybersecurity Executive Order was signed and released today (see the Wired article). “Although the order comes after a number of failed attempts by Congress last year to pass cybersecurity legislation, the White House has indicated that it doesn’t see the executive order as a substitute for legislation, and the order even indicates that further legislation is not ruled out in addressing the critical infrastructure issue.”

@YourAnonNews: It’s official #CISPA is back. A law that violates your basic right to privacy. Sign & share this petition to stop it: bit.ly/VSuCiz

Lots of illegal things happen, everywhere, every day. People smuggle guns, drugs, and other people in cars and on their persons, to buildings and houses. Even so, authorities aren’t allowed to search an individual, their car, or their home without cause. There are strict limits on invasion of privacy for a reason. The biggest problem with CISPA (and similar bills) is the weakness of the requirements.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but: modern government is happy to pass the kind of bill that allows men with badges into your home on a whim, patdowns and strip searches at checkpoints on the streets. Only, the laws are already long-established for that kind of privacy, so they’ll get all they can online.

I’m an average person. I don’t pay super close attention to politics, to bills, to laws. I’m sure there are nuances and arguments to be made. And after all those nuances and arguments are done with, it will still come back to those basic rights, being taken away because it’s the Internet is still a brand new venue.